Chapter Ninety-One: Taking Her Away from Him

After hanging up, Yan Xu was in high spirits; another future rising star was now in his hands.

Since Yi Nengjing had agreed to join the Dragon Clan, the rest would be easy enough. Deals between record companies were commonplace, especially for an intern like her.

Though she had signed an eight-year contract, anything money could solve was hardly a serious matter.

"I'll go with you," Zhou Huimin said, looping an arm around his shoulder the moment she saw him put down the phone.

"Are you up to it?" Yan Xu looked at the half-bared body beside him, peeking out from beneath the covers, and his eyes lit at once. That tenderness, white as fine jade, was enough to make one linger in longing.

Zhou Huimin was still a first-timer, and last night had been such a reckless affair. Yan Xu was genuinely worried that she might not be able to bear it.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Zhou Huimin sat up and looked at him, her expression firm. She knew very well that Yan Xu was only seeing Yi Nengjing for work, but no one could say whether anything else might happen. She did not want the two of them left alone together.

Seeing Zhou Huimin sit up, Yan Xu went dry-mouthed all over again. The little man beneath the quilt slowly rose in salute. One had to know that Zhou Huimin wore nothing beneath the covers; now that she had sat up, the blanket slipped down, leaving most of her body exposed. In particular, the delicate fullness of her chest, white with a blush of pink, was so tempting it seemed ready to drip.

"You... what are you looking at?" Zhou Huimin received no reply. Instead, she met Yan Xu's unabashed, lustful stare fixed on her. Only then did she realize how she looked at that moment, and she quickly raised her arms to shield her chest, her face flushing with embarrassed color.

"Mm." Yan Xu said nothing. Instead, he answered with action. Pulling Zhou Huimin into his arms, he sealed her enticing little mouth with a deep kiss.

"What are you doing? Don't..."

"Ah... it hurts a little..."

"Not there... not there..."

"Huff... huff..."

"That position is so embarrassing..."

...

By the time they reached Flying Eagle Records, it was nearly lunchtime. Yan Xu had already sped up the day's exercise, yet it still took nearly half an hour.

The intense aftermath was that Zhou Huimin, who had originally planned to accompany him, could only lie in the hotel bed to rest. Her tenderness was already swollen and sore; even walking looked awkward. At the very least, she would need to recover for a while.

Since he had no prior business relationship with Flying Eagle Records, Yan Xu chose the most direct approach and simply went to the company. After eating a little at a nearby restaurant with Yi Nengjing, who had been waiting at the entrance, he went straight to Flying Eagle Records.

Flying Eagle Records was not a large company; it was still in the early stages of establishment. Though its boss, Liu Wenzheng, was quite famous in the music scene and his albums sold well, opening a company was no simple matter. Money was one thing, but all sorts of relationships had to be managed as well. Moreover, Taiwan had far too many record companies, nearly a hundred in all, big and small. Surviving among them was no easy feat.

Seen from the outside, the whole company was only slightly better than the former Hundred Battles Film Company. Not that it was much larger, but at least it occupied a spot in one of Taipei's bustling commercial districts.

Because it had only just been renovated, the interior looked neat and clean. The walls still carried a faint smell of paint, and even the office supplies were brand-new. But since the company had only just been founded, there were hardly any employees inside, leaving it somewhat empty.

Yi Nengjing had already told Liu Wenzheng the purpose of Yan Xu's visit, so Liu Wenzheng was not especially surprised by his arrival. On the contrary, he was very warm and welcoming.

Although Dragon Clan Records had been established for less than a year, its influence and scale in the industry were already far beyond what Flying Eagle Records could compare with. Since its founding, their company had not even launched a single singer; at most, it had only some interns like Yi Nengjing.

Liu Wenzheng was quite surprised that Yan Xu had taken a fancy to an intern from his company, though not entirely astonished.

When he selected these interns, one of the biggest factors was appearance. Take Yi Nengjing, for example: he had signed her simply because he had once happened to see her ID photo.

Even if their singing were not great, merely relying on their looks would still attract some fans.

"Mr. Liu, I assume Miss Yi has already told you why I came," Yan Xu said, seated opposite Liu Wenzheng as he accepted the cup of tea personally poured for him. As the boss of Dragon Clan Records, he was fully entitled to such treatment.

"Miss Yi has already told me," Liu Wenzheng nodded.

"And what is Mr. Liu's view?"

"Though my company can't compare with yours in scale, I have not treated anyone under my banner badly in any respect. As for me, I'm very easy to get along with, and I would absolutely not obstruct any artist under my company from seeking better development."

His words amused Yan Xu inwardly. An eight-year contract, annual pay of only ten thousand Taiwan dollars, and this was called good treatment? In Yan Xu's eyes, it was nothing short of an exploitative contract.

"Since Mr. Liu is so frank, I won't beat around the bush either. I want to buy out the remainder of Miss Yi's contract. Name your price."

"With Miss Yi, our company has invested a long period of time in training her, from her image to all other aspects, putting in a great deal of manpower and resources. Especially recently, our company has launched a new project: we are preparing to form a female trio as Flying Eagle's opening shot in the record industry, and Miss Yi is a key member of that plan. If she were to leave, all the work we have done during this period, along with our early preparations for the trio, would go to waste, so... this..."

Flying Eagle's trio was not exactly a fixed group; the three women each remained independent, with the addition of a few joint songs on their albums to increase their appeal. They also ran publicity appearances together, thereby strengthening the audience's impression of them.

Yan Xu still had some memory of this half-group arrangement. Of course, that memory did not come from Yi Nengjing, but from another member, Fang Wenlin. Yan Xu had once watched an interview with her, and her romance with Wang Jie had caused quite a sensation at the time.

"One million."

Yan Xu's voice cut off Liu Wenzheng's words.

The one million Yan Xu named was in Taiwan dollars, but for an intern, that was already extremely high, almost equivalent to the value of a second- or third-rate singer.

So when Yan Xu stated the price, Liu Wenzheng's pupils dilated. He had not expected Yan Xu to offer such an alluring sum.

Of course, as a rising star, he still had assets worth several million Taiwan dollars, but those were earned over long years of struggle in the music industry. Now, for merely spending tens of thousands, he would receive a million in return. The little bit of reluctance in his heart faded away completely. For a record company like his, the initial investment was basically around that same figure anyway.

"This..." Though Yan Xu's figure was very tempting, Liu Wenzheng did not agree at once. Instead, he put on a difficult expression. After all, he was not only a singer, but also a businessman now.

Seeing him still hesitate, Yan Xu knew he merely wanted to push for a higher price. The amount he offered was already quite good. Although it was a little less than the breach-of-contract penalty stated in the agreement, it was certainly sincere. No one wanted to push matters to the point of paying damages according to the contract.

"If Mr. Liu is not satisfied with this figure, then please name your own price."

Ask as high as you like, bargain as you please. Yan Xu knew this was how business worked.

"The price Mr. Yan offered is very reasonable. I, Liu Wenzheng, am not a greedy man. However, besides this price, I have one more condition."

"What condition?" Yan Xu was somewhat surprised that Liu Wenzheng did not raise the price but instead提出 another condition.

"You also know that my Flying Eagle Records is only a small company just starting out. Though I have many friends in the industry and certain advantages in distribution and other areas, aside from me there is ultimately no singer who can support the face of the company, and we also lack external channels. So I hope we can cooperate with your company."

Yan Xu pondered briefly. Liu Wenzheng's proposal was indeed not bad.

He had a wide network in Taiwan and his own distribution channels. If he were to handle the records of singers under Yan Xu's company, it would certainly be far stronger than separate promotion and release. Though they would have to give up a portion of the profits, they would also save themselves a great deal of trouble.

Take Zhou Huimin's recent trip to Taiwan, for instance: the company had coordinated with all sides for a long time before it came to fruition. Every small fan meeting involved a great many issues. If there were a partnering company, much of that time could be saved for other things.

Although it seemed he would be at a disadvantage now and have to surrender some agency commission, Flying Eagle Records' future development was promising. It could still cultivate a few singers, and once Liu Wenzheng retired to the United States, Yan Xu could simply swallow Flying Eagle Records whole and turn it into his own Taiwan branch.